


late night talks

by dglvr3272



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: A little angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, I Don't Even Know, Identity Reveal, Marichat, eventually, i thought it was cute
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-08
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2018-09-22 20:59:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9625124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dglvr3272/pseuds/dglvr3272
Summary: In which Chat needs a friend to vent, and Marinette is there, unconditionally.





	1. chat needs a friend

**Author's Note:**

> so! this is my first fic on here! please don't be discouraged, i think i'm ok at this. takes place after the christmas special.
> 
> also, i realize that the layout for marinette's room is completely wrong and i'm so sorry, but hindsight is 20/20 right, and i'm not gonna change it
> 
> also also, the lowercase is a conscious choice (gotta keep that aesthetic consistent yo), but i use proper grammar when i write i promise
> 
> also also also, i know it's super short and the next chapter will be much longer i promise!!

“Marinette?” Chat asked.

“What?” I really hoped he hadn’t noticed the extreme panic in my voice.

“That’s her house…I’ve only ever been in the bakery before, but I know she and her family live there too.” He said, almost wistfully.

“If I didn’t know any better, Kitty, I’d say you had a crush on her,” I said, grinning. Almost immediately, Chat looked over at me and smiled.

“You know I only have eyes for you, my lady,” he said, bowing his head. I snorted and rolled my eyes.

“Last one to the Seine is a rotten egg!” I called as I began to run.

“No fair!”

* * *

We had finally finished patrol, and I was finally able to start on some of my homework.

“Marinette, it’s almost one in the morning! You should get some sleep soon,” Tikki said, landing on my paper.

“I know Tikki, but this is really important! I promise that when I finish, I’ll go straight to bed,” I said, which seemed to reassure the little kwami.

“Well…alright,” Tikki said half-heartedly, as she went to nibble on some chocolate I left for her. With just the light of my desk lamp illuminating my room, and no pesky cat or concerned kwami to distract me, I was finally able to get my work done. Well – most of it anyways. It was around one forty-five when I heard the tapping on the door to the patio. It was so light, I almost couldn’t hear it, but being ladybug has helped some things outside the suit.

I waited a few moments before I investigated. There was a second knock on my door, almost lighter than the first, but I was convinced it was there. I stood as silently and as cautiously as I could, and made my way over. Surprisingly, I didn’t trip on my rug or my backpack on the way over, even in the dark. I made it to the door and saw a faint silhouette of a certain superhero outside my door.

_‘What is Chat doing here? We finished patrols…does this have something to do with earlier?’_ I saw him jump on my balcony, and realized he was trying to leave. I threw the door open and flicked on my light.

“Wait!” I practically yelled as I stumbled out to stop him. He sat frozen on the ledge, mid-preparation to jump.

“Uhm, wait, please?” I tried again, as I attempted to regain my composure that I had lost long, long ago.

He slowly and reluctantly stepped off the ledge and back onto my balcony. He half-smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

“Sorry to disturb you, my lady, I was about to lea-”

“You didn’t - disturb me, I mean - or leave - don’t have to leave, not didn’t have to leave because that’s grammatically incorrect, sorry I’m rambling, please say something because I am _not_ going to stop unless you cut me off-”

“Whoa! It’s ok,” Chat laughed, while taking me by the shoulders, “you’re completely fine. I’m usually the one who won’t stop talking so it’s new for me too.”

“Ah, yes, but the difference is, I _can’t_ stop talking,” I say, shrugging his hands off my shoulders. We stand outside in the cold awkwardly for a minute, until I finally sigh, frustrated.

“Look Chat, I’m cold and tired, and I’ve got work to do, so if you want to tell me why you’re here, can we do it inside?” I ask, waving my arm as an invitation into my room. His face flushed and he went inside.

I closed the sliding glass door and then proceeded to turn on some lights. Chat stood awkwardly in front of the doors, almost afraid to go anywhere else.

“Well?” I asked, almost impatiently.

“Well…what?” He asked, knowing what the question was entirely.

“Why are you here? At one forty-five in the morning?” I asked.

“It’s actually one fifty-two,” I glared, “Ok, yup, got it. Well…I thought I’d check in. After everything that happened with the Evillustrator-”

“Nathaniel.”

“Yes, right, Nathaniel, sorry. Anyways, I haven’t seen you since then so I wanted to make sure you were ok. No akuma's trying to hurt and or invite you on dates since then?” He asked.

I laughed, “Thankfully, no. But Chat, that was almost a year ago. Is that really the only reason you came?” I asked. He paused. I’ve never seen him look nervous before, but that is exactly what I was seeing.

“Well…no, not exactly. I don’t really have a reason. I’ve been dropping by pretty regularly for the last two weeks, but you’ve either been asleep or just didn’t notice. I know, it sounds pretty creepy-”

“-Very creepy, but continue.” He sighed and put his head in his hands.

“I-I’m sorry. In all honesty, I just don’t want to be home right now, and you’re the only one out of my frie – I mean, people from my school who’s ever up at this time,” he said, finally relaxing.

“Oh, _chaton_ , you should’ve just told me that! My door is always open for a friend in need. And, I kind of get it. One of my friends has some issues with his dad. He doesn’t usually talk about it, but it’s hard not to see it,” I said, Adrien on my mind. While inviting everyone over to his house on Christmas had helped their relationship, it definitely isn’t perfect.  


“Marinette, you don’t have to-”

“Yes I do, Chat. Look, let’s make a pact. You can tell me whatever you need to tell me, and I won’t try to guess who you are or who you’re talking about, or anything involving your identity. If you keep all your emotions and thoughts all bottled up, it’s gonna come out eventually, and it isn’t pretty. In my experience, venting to a good friend is as therapeutic as…well…therapy? Bad metaphor, but you get the point,” I said.

I went over and sat on my bed, staring at him expectantly. He didn’t move. I rolled my eyes and patted the bed forcefully. He was hesitant, but made his way over and sat on the very edge of the bed, as far away from me as possible.

“Oh, come on. 100% platonic. And I don’t bite,” I said, raising my hands in surrender. He sighed and resigned. He scooted up to the headboard and laid next to me. He lied on his back, while I was on my side, facing him. My hand was above his head, so almost out of habit (thanks, Alya), I began to absent-mindedly stroke his hair and run my fingers through it. He relaxed completely then, and let out an ‘mmm’ sound.

“Alright, so no talk of who I might be?” He asked, looking over at me, with big puppy – er, kitten eyes.

“I won’t even think about it.” I said, holding my pinky out, in promise form. He grinned and wrapped his gloved pinky around mine.


	2. chat visits again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chat visits again and reflects on that days akuma attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaahhh!! hello!! i legitimately wasn't sure whether i was gonna upload this but i've been seeing your comments and it inspired me!!! so please comment!!! i need validation and encouragement!!! anyways have fun

“Marinette, I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah I know. Eat your cookies.” I said, shoving the plate into his hands. He immediately began stuffing his face. We just finished patrols, and I had barely de-transformed before Chat came knocking on my door again. Thankfully, there have been no akuma attacks since today, so I’ve been able to get home at a reasonable time.

“Ok, well, I need to put on some pajamas, so I’ll be right back,” I said, leaving Chat sitting on my bed, munching on cookies.

“Okey dokey,” he said, but it was almost unintelligible due to the cookies. I stepped into my closet for privacy and managed to change without incident. As soon as I stepped out, though, Chat had curled up on my bed, with most of the cookies on the floor.

“Chaton, why are the cookies on the floor?” I asked my hands on my hips impatiently.

“Because I’m tired…” He said, stretching both his body and his words. He rolled over to the other side of my bed, and I went and cleaned up the cookies. When I was done, I took a seat next to Chat.

“Chat, are you alright? Did something happen today?” I asked, but I received no answer. His body was tense and rigid, so I knew he wasn’t asleep.

“Chaton…I’m here. Talk to me,” I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. He sighed and turned back towards me. He sat up and leaned against the headboard.

“It’s just…been a rough day,” he said, closing his eyes.

“…Well, we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. We can just…lie here,” I said.

“That…that sounds nice.”

And lie there we did. For about an hour, we just enjoyed each others company and the comfortable silence. After spending so much time with him as Ladybug, it’s a completely different dynamic as Marinette. He’s more genuine, and I think he really sees me as a friend.

“Mari…do you…do you think I’m annoying?” His voice was barely above a whisper. He stared out the window, overlooking Paris, and his eyes welled.

“Chat, of course not! You’re amazing! Why would you say that?” I asked, touching his shoulder. He looked at me and then smiled.

“It’s nothing. It was just something Ladybug said. I’m glad you think that I’m so wonderful, though…” but I had stopped listening by that point.

_‘Ladybug? What did I say?’_ I thought. Then, it clicked.

* * *

“Chat watch out!” I swung on my yo-yo and pushed Chat out of the way. We both landed on the ground, but I bared most of the weight, with Chat landing right on top of me.

“My lady! Are you alright?” Chat was up on his feet, deflecting the small seed bombs with his staff as I collected myself. The akuma today was not so fun. It seemed to be a florist, due to the foliage growing everywhere and civilians being turned into flowers and whatnot. It seemed to be Chloé’s fault, yet again. The akuma had her trapped in a flower bulb, covered in dirt and small bugs. You could tell it was her due to the screaming and empty threats.

“I’m fine Chat. But look, I think the Akuma is in their spade!” The akuma was a little ridiculous. And terrifying. Mostly the latter. They were covered in vines and had no distinguishable body, other than a thicker mass of greenery and flowers next to the Chloé bulb. They were holding a spade in one…hand? And was using the other to throw the seed bombs, where they would explode into flowers upon contact with anything solid. Chat had a few stuck to his staff already.

“Got it. I’ll get the bulb and get Chloé out of here, and you do your Lucky Charm?” Chat was visibly tiring.

“Perfect. Go!” I leaped off the ground, heading straight for the mass.

“I AM THE FLOWERBOMB! FEAR MY WRATH OR FEEL MOTHER NATURE’S!” It still hadn’t noticed me. I kicked it in the back of what seemed to be its head, causing it to stumble away from Chloé. Chat got in, got her out, and leaped out of the way.

“Why you little-”

“LUCKY CHARM!” It gave me a watering can. Seriously? As I stood in the middle of a Parisian street, contemplating what to do with the can, Flowerbomb struck. One of its vines shot out and wrapped around my waist, and dragged me towards it. My first instinct was to water the vine, obviously. And it dissolved.

“Herbicide! How about this, you overgrown weed!” I swung my yo-yo around a lamp post and flew around Flowerbomb, pouring the herbicide around its roots. I saw Chat Noir out of the corner of my eye, and then into my field of vision. He went to grab the spade, but I saw the vine before he did.

“Chat!” I screamed and dropped to the ground. The vine was wrapped around his ankle, and he dangled through the air. He had dropped his staff and his ring was beeping.

“It’s alright My Lady! We can get out of this!” But he was not convinced. A smaller vine came up to take his ring, but he held it close to his chest.

“LADYBUG! GIVE ME YOUR MIRACULOUS AND I’LL LET YOUR PARTNER LIVE!” Flowerbomb said, dangling Chat over an open Venus Flytrap.

“Don’t do it!” Chat nodded his head to the left. Flowerbomb had all its vines focused on Chat and me, so the spade was left unprotected with a single wimpy vine wrapped around it.

“Never!” I threw the watering can at its face? And leaped towards the spade. As it screamed in agony, it flung Chat to the side, to safety. I destroyed the spade and captured the butterfly.

“Bye bye little butterfly,” I said, as I released the cleansed butterfly into the air. After the city was fixed and everything was back to normal, Chat stood next to me, fist outstretched for a fist-bump. I groaned and swung onto a roof, trying to find a place away from reporters or Alya so I could talk to Chat alone. Thankfully, he got the message.

“What’s wrong my lady? We saved the day.”

“Yes, but what you did back there was risky and dangerous! I was handling it.”

“But it all worked out, right? I was just trying to help.”

“I know, and I appreciate it, but I’m frustrated right now, Chat! We have to be calculated and strategic! We can’t just leap in headfirst! We’re older now, and facing more powerful akumas. We can’t make stupid, impulse based decisions.”

“Ladybug, I don’t understand why you’re upset right now, we got the akuma, we foiled Hawk Moth’s plans-”

“Yes, but you could’ve died today! I can’t even fathom what I would do if that happened.”

“I…my lady…I had no idea you felt so strongly about this. I’m sorry,” I had my back turned to him, so I couldn’t see his face, but just from his voice alone, I knew his apology was genuine.

“Thank you Chat. You’re just so annoyingly heroic sometimes, and it worries me. You have to take care of yourself too you know, not just me,” I turned around finally. He smiled. Not one of his classic goofy grins, but a genuine, soulful smile.

“I’ll be sure to think of that my lady. But for now…race you to the Eiffel tower?” And his goofy grin was back.

“You’re on!”

* * *

Chat was painting my toenails. He was quite good, actually. After laying in bed, I realized I needed to vent about a certain blonde at a certain school in a certain class, so he let me. After about 20 minutes, Chat got up and began wandering about my room as I spoke. He listened the whole time, with helpful inputs that consisted of gasps, no’s and how dare she’s. I didn’t notice Chat had gone into my bathroom until he came out with my red nail polish, my toe separators and base and top coat.

“What are you doing?” I asked as he took off my slippers.

“I’m going to paint your nails. I heard from a very reliable source that getting your toenails painted is, like, a total luxury.”

“Ok, well, you’re not completely wrong. I usually only get pedicures at a place that does pedicures. Not by a masked vigilante who’s been sneaking into my bedroom in the middle of the night for the past week,” I said, crossing my arms. He gasped and feigned hurt.

“Marinette…a vigilante? That’s what you call the hero of Paris? What would Ladybug think,” he shook his head.

“I have a feeling she would agree,” I poked him with my foot.

“Hey! Alright, gimme that,” and so, Chat Noir, savior of Paris, was painting my toenails at 4:37 in the morning.

“Aaand done. Voila!” Chat had painted my toenails red. And quite nicely too.

“That looks awesome! How did you learn how to do this?” I asked, blowing on my nails and fanning them.

“Uh…I have a friend…that’s a model. He usually has to have a clear coat of polish, and sometimes he has to have colored polish, so I help him out from time to time. Yay to breaking gender stereotypes!” He laughed weakly, rubbing the back of his head.

“It’s ok, I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry,” I said, putting my hand on his. What I could see of his face flushed with red.

“No, no, no, no, it’s completely ok! It’s a completely reasonable question. I mean, honestly, who would expect the devilishly handsome, Chat Noir, savior of Paris, to be such an amazing artist with a nail polish brush?”

“…Ok, that went a little overboard with the narcissism, but I get the point,” He laughed and came and sat next to me.

“It’s getting kinda late, huh?” He said, as I yawned, and snuggled deeper into my comforter.

“Well, you could also say it’s getting kinda early. It _is_ …4:40 in the morning,” I said, peeking at my clock on my nightstand.

“Well, then I should be off. Have a good sleep, Marinette,” Chat said, standing from my bed and stretching.

“You mean 2-hour nap?” I asked, already half-asleep. Right as my eyes began to close, heavy with sleep, I saw Chat leap off my balcony and into the lights of Paris.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay!! you made it to the end!! its a little longer than last chapter, and hopefully much better. i actually spent time on this one! if you want, you can follow me on tumblr at holy-shoot.tumblr.com where i'll be posting a link to this chapter, so please reblog that!! ok cool, thanks, bye!!!


	3. chat is safe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> something happens at the college.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god i haven't updated in forever  
> so im not dead guys!!!!! i just started my senior year so everything is uber crazy, so pls bear with me, since there will definitely not be a regular update schedule  
> maybe after college apps  
> ive also just realized the amazing missed opportunity for a pun in the title and i want to die  
> also this is like over 3k words???  
> enjoy!

It seems like everything is Chloé Bourgeois’ fault. Fortunately, there wasn’t an akuma, but she’s very good at making people feel like absolute shit. Surprisingly though, it wasn’t me today.

“ADRIKINS!” Was the first thing I heard out of her mouth, as she practically leaped into Adrien’s arms as we stood in the courtyard, waiting for class to start. Alya was emphatically telling us about the last akuma attack and what Chat and I had done to Nino, Adrien and I. As she wrapped her arms around his neck, I quickly sidestepped to avoid the two. Adrien grimaced and pried her arms off of his neck.

“Hi Chloé,” he said, grimacing, but she didn’t notice.

“So! Daddy is hosting this party at the hotel this Saturday and we should totally go together! We could coordinate our outfits and everything. Oh, hi Marinette. Alya. Nino.” She said, glaring at us individually.

“Hi, Chloé! I’m so proud you’ve finally learned our names! It's not like you’ve known us for years or anything,” Alya said, smiling widely. Nino snorted but quickly coughed to cover it up.

“That sounds like...fun Chloé, but we’re all gonna hang out at Marinette’s on Saturday. Raincheck?” Adrien asked, grinning sheepishly. Chloé huffed and glared at me.

“You know they’re just using you, right Adrikins?” She asked, not taking her eyes off of me.

“What?”

“They don’t really like you. They just want to use you because you’re rich and successful and powerful and they’re _not_. They’re just going to use you and abuse you and treat you like dirt until you’re of no use to them,” she took a step towards me, still not looking at Adrien, who looked stunned, “and then they’ll leave you in the dust to _rot_. They don’t really care about you, or your dad or your family. They care that you’re rich.”

She finally turned to Adrien.

“Do you really think they care about your mother? Do you think they want to help? Or that they’ll fill the space she took up? Because they won’t. And if you _seriously think _that they care about you? You’re more of an idiot than everyone thinks you are,” She turned away, stomping towards Sabrina, and I thought for a moment I saw her wipe her eyes.__

Adrien stood stunned, staring at her back until he finally turned back to us.

“I...” he was in shock. A tear ran down his face, but he quickly wiped it away and then he turned and walked away as well. I turned back to Alya and Nino, the former of the two was fuming.

“God I _hate _her. I should give her a piece of my mind,” Alya said, rolling up her sleeves, and before Nino or I could stop her, she ran off in the direction Chloé went.__

“Should we...go after her?” Nino asked, and I shrugged. I looked back in the direction Adrien went, and I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Go. I’ll take care of Alya, you should talk to Adrien. He doesn’t ever tell me anything, but he might talk to you. He’s always liked you,” Nino smiled, and then jogged after Alya, leaving me alone.

I took a deep breath and tried to regain my composure. I slowly made my way over in the direction Adrien went, finding my way to the fencing room. He was sitting in the corner farthest from the door, with his knees pulled up to his chest and his face in his arms. I pulled the door closed and he didn’t look up. I went and sat beside him, close enough so he knew I was there, but not close enough so we were touching.

“Nino, I really don’t want to talk about it,” He said, muffled.

“It’s a good thing I’m not Nino then,” I said, trying to hold my shaking hand still. Out of the corner of my eye, Adrien’s head shot up and stared.

“M-Marinette? W-what are you doing here?” He asked and I shrugged.

“You’re sad. And you’re my friend. It’s a legal obligation really,” I said, still not looking over. He stared for a few more moments and then put his face back into his arms.

“That really sucked,” He said, finally. He let out a dry laugh, and I smiled.

“Yeah. It really did. But I think it was more surprising than anything. Chloé loves you. I’d even argue that she’s _in_ love with you,” I said and he laughed again.

“She said the same thing about you, y’know,” my heart stopped, “but I knew she never liked you. So I never believed her.”

“...I’m sorry. About what she said. Even though none of its true, and I hope you know that it still hurts to hear. Especially from someone you consider a friend,” I said, and I saw Adrien look at me again. Silently, he reached over and grabbed my hand. I felt my breath hitch in my throat and Adrien snorted.

“You’ve been uncharacteristically charismatic today. And no stuttering,” he said, looking away from me.

“Y-yeah. T-t-totally chill,” I stammered and he laughed again. We were silent again, until he scooted closer to me, and rested his head on my shoulder. We sat like that for a while, in silence. Every once in a while there was a sniffle, but otherwise, there was a general comfortable silence. Nino texted me that he talked to the teacher and that we were excused from class.

After about thirty minutes, we heard rumbling from outside. Both of us just sat up, alert. It stopped for a moment and then started again. It was closer this time. We both jumped up and ran out the room, but the rumbling got more intense. We had just made it out of the room when one of the pillars in the courtyard collapsed, bringing a corner of the building down with it.

“NO!” I screamed and raced over, but it was too late. Adrien grabbed me by the waist and pulled me back, and we stood together, overlooking the rubble. From the back of my mind, I had a pang of fear.

_‘What if Chat was in there?’_ There were screams from the other side of the building, as the other students were being evacuated.

“MARINETTE!” I heard Alya, and I turned back and raced towards her. She enveloped me in a hug, and I noticed there were tears streaking down her face. She was covered in dust, as was the rest of the class.

“Oh my god, I thought we lost you,” Alya sobbed, hugging me tighter. I looked over and saw Nino hugging Adrien with the same intensity. When he finally released Adrien, Nino came over and joined our hug.

“Thank god no one was in there,” he murmured, and I felt all the tension I had release. I looked over to Adrien, who smiled gratefully.

Once the rest of the students were evacuated from the college, we all made our way home. The earthquakes had subsided and had only caused damage to the college. Thankfully, no one was injured, and there was no akuma.

Once I got home, my mom and dad both hugged me for a solid minute. One each, and then one together. On the news, I saw that there were earthquakes all around Paris and France, but none of them caused any damage, save for the college. After dinner and dessert, I went to my room and shut in for the night.

“Hello my lady,” Chat said, already sitting on the bed, waiting for me. He was skimming through one of the various magazines I had on my nightstand.

“Chat!” I cried, and I leaped onto the bed, and wrapped him in a hug, “I was so worried you got hurt or...or something in the earthquake. I’m glad you’re safe,”

It took him a few moments to process, but then he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed tight.

“I’m alright Marinette. Not a scratch on me. Are you ok?” He asked, pushing me back so he could look at me.

“I’m fine. Really. My friend Adrien was with me, and he kept me safe,” I said, smiling wistfully and looking away. I saw Chat raise an eyebrow.

“Oh? Really? And who might this Adrien be? Is he as handsome and suave as I am?” Chat grinned.

“Oh _shush_. You have to know who Adrien is! He’s a famous model. His father is Gabriel Agreste! Famous fashion designer!” I said, and Chat thought for a moment.

“Nope. Never heard of him. Tell me more about this ‘Adrien Agreste’. I’m _fascinated_ ,” He said, grinning almost maliciously. We made our way out onto the balcony, and I leaned against the railing.

“Well, he’s very attractive. Blond hair, stunning green eyes, just a general beautiful human being. But, more importantly, he’s just...amazing. He’s so nice and gentle and kind. He’s really good at video games, but not as good as I am. I used to completely idolize him and put him on this pedestal that no one could have ever reached. But now that I’m getting to know him, I can see him for an actual real person, instead of this model that I had posters of all over my room,” I said, staring off at the Paris skyline. Chat was silent for a long while, and when I looked over I saw him staring intently at me, tears pooling in the inner corner of his eyes.

“Chat! Are you alright? Did I say something?” I asked, grabbing his gloved hand, and he smiled and laughed quietly.

“You...you must really like this Adrien kid, huh?” He looked up at me and smiled. I felt the heat rising to my face and ears.

“Ugh, don’t make fun of me! I’ve had the biggest dumbest crush on him since he gave me his umbrella,” I said, turning away from him and crossing my arms. He laughed again.

“And how long ago was that?” He asked, turning me towards him. I thought for a while and finally decided on an answer.

“I think around two years ago? Maybe more, I’m not one hundred percent sure really,” I said, shrugging, and he nodded, thinking deeply. We turned back to the Parisian skyline, but his expression was somber and almost sad.

“Chat whats wrong?” I asked, putting my hand on his shoulder. He smiled but didn’t look me in the eye.

“I’m fine my lady, really, I’m just...thinking,” He said, putting his chin in his hand and resting it on the railing.

“Well Chat I don’t want you getting jealous now,” He raised an eyebrow, “just because I have this dumb big crush on Adrien doesn’t mean I don’t love you too. You’re my best friend, and no guy could replace that.”

He smiled, and thought for a moment, before wrapping his arms around me and hugging me tightly.

“Thank you, Marinette. It means a lot to hear you say that...but I thought Alya was your best friend? I fear that if she caught wind of you saying that, this cat may lose all of his nine lives,” He said, and I laughed.

“Ok, how about this, my best guy friend. With Alya, I can talk to her about anything, and she’ll get excited with me and be there for me, but with you...it's different. You’re calm and collected, and while you still relate and help me, you really listen. You make me feel like I’m the most special person in Paris,” I said, pulling him in for another hug. He seemed confused at first and then hugged me again.

We sat on the roof for a while, just chatting about everything, from my parents to Chloé to the earthquake today. It was around three when Chat had to leave.

“You know my lady, I must get sleep at some point tonight. Or this morning,” He said, sitting on the railing. I waved goodbye, and he leaped off into the night.

* * *

Today was a weird day, to say the least. First with Chloé blowing up at Adrien and Marinette, and then me talking to her, and then that _thing,_ and then the earthquake...weird is definitely an understatement.

After I ran to confront Chloé, Nino quickly caught up with me.

“Alya you cannot fight Chloé Bourgeois,” He said, grabbing my arm.

“I am one hundred percent going to fight Chloé Bourgeois,” I said, pulling my arm out of Nino’s hand and continuing forward. He ran up in front of me and stopped.

“Alya, _no._ ”

“Alya, _YES,_ ” I said, pushing him aside. I could feel him roll his eyes at me, but thankfully, he didn’t stop me this time.

I found Chloé in the small bathroom, on the second story. She was applying lipstick in the mirror and stopped when she saw me come in.

“What do you want Alya?” She asked, staring at me in the mirror. I stormed up to her and jammed my finger in her face.

“What the _hell_ is your problem, Bourgeois? I thought you were, like, in _love_ with Adrien. Why did you have to blow up at him and Mari?” I asked, dumbfounded and seeing red. At Marinette’s name, Chloé tensed.

“...I’m not in love with him,” she said, after a few moments of silence. I barked out a dry laugh.

“Are you _sure?_ Because based off of the way you literally throw yourself at him whenever you see him, it makes sense I wouldn’t believe that, right?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips. She wouldn’t look at me.

“I’m not in love with _him_ ,” she repeated, and I scoffed.

“Really? Chloé, I really don’t give a shit who you’re in love with. I’m more focused on why you treat my friends like crap and act like you’re all high and mighty all the time!” I cried, throwing my hands up in exasperation. She was silent. Then, she mumbled something I didn’t quite catch.

“What?” She repeated herself again.

“Chloé I don’t have time for any more of your stupid-”

“I’M _GAY_ ” She yelled, and then she threw her hands over her mouth. My eyes widened, and I froze. She ran over to the bathroom door, but instead of running out like I assumed, she locked it.

“Alya you can’t tell anyone, please, please don’t tell anyone,” She was pleading. She was _begging_.

“Chloé...” I said, and then she did something I really didn’t expect. She got on her knees and grabbed my hands.

“ _Please Alya,_ ” She cried, tears streaming down her face. I sighed, and I pulled her up.

“Of course I’m not going to tell anyone, Jesus Christ,” I said, rubbing my face. Chloé exhaled in relief.

“Thank god,” She said, and then leaned against the sink.

“But Chloé, being gay doesn’t excuse you for being an asshole. It just means you’re a gay asshole,” I said, and she laughed, humorlessly.

“No, I know that. And I am an asshole. And bitch and whatever other words mean someone who is relentlessly cruel for no reason. Well, not _no_ reason, but it isn’t a very good one,” she said, avoiding my eyes.

“Chloé...what’s your reason?” I asked, putting my hand on hers. She looked up at me, tears in her eyes. She put her hand over her mouth and choked out a quiet sob. She quickly collected herself and began to explain.

“I, uhm, have an older sister. Her name’s Charlotte. She’s way older and doesn’t live with daddy and me anymore, so we’re not really close...but we used to be. She’s ten years older than me, and I remember when I was 5, she introduced me to her ‘special friend’. Her name was Alice. Charlotte told me not to tell daddy about her, and that she would tell him herself when the time is right.

“So, I waited. Finally, on my seventh birthday, Charlotte brought Alice to my party and introduced her to everyone as her girlfriend. Daddy was livid. After the party, he sent me to my room and I heard him screaming at her that he didn’t want her ‘sexual perversion’ around me, and how bad this would be for his campaign for mayor. I never saw Alice again. Charlotte stayed for another year, but she was...different. She became cold and closed-off and incredibly cruel to everyone around her. Except for me. Instead she just completely cut me off. She wouldn’t talk to me, she wouldn’t even _look_ at me.

“She attempted suicide just before her eighteenth birthday. It was heartbreaking. She overdosed on the Adderall my dad had put her on to help her focus since her grades had been slipping. She was in the hospital for days. I don’t remember a lot, but I just remember this impending sense of dread that coated everything. She survived and went into rehab. When she got back, she packed her bags and left. Daddy tried to stop her but he couldn’t. That was seven years ago. I haven’t seen or talked to her since ” Chloé and I were on the ground now.

“Chloé...I’m so sorry. I...I actually haven’t come out to my parents either,” her head shot up, “I’m bisexual. I’m pretty sure they’ll be supportive, but it’s still super scary.”

She nodded. We sat together for a while, just in a comfortable silence. Then we felt the rumbling. We both froze and stared at each other.

“Akuma?” I asked, and Chloé shrugged.

“I’m not sure...maybe?” Then her eyes widened in fear, “Oh god...what if it’s Adrien?”

“No. No, it’s not Adrien. I think either Mari or Nino went after him,” I said, but I wasn’t sure. What if it _was_ Adrien? The ground shook again and we stood, dust falling from the ceiling. Chloe hugged on to me, and we stood together when the last rumble came.

We were knocked against the wall, and I shielded Chloe from the debris. I saw her look up at me, my arms around her, and suddenly, her lips were on mine. They were chapped and dusty from the debris, but they were soft and gentle, and unsure. I slid my hand down her back and pulled her closer to me, deepening the kiss. But before anything else happened, Chloe pushed me away, in shock.

“I-I’m so sorry,” she whispered, and then unlocked the bathroom door and ran out. I ran to follow her, but I froze when I saw Marinette and Adrien.

“MARINETTE!” I screamed and raced over to her. I picked her up into a hug and squeezed her tight. I didn’t even notice Nino following me and hugging Adrien. We were evacuated pretty soon after, and I didn’t see Chloé at all for the rest of the day. Once I got home, I learned that there indeed was no akuma, so there was no need to update the Lady Blog. I considered texting Chloe, but I had no way to contact her, so I thought of the next best thing.

**You:** _hey sabrina! its alya. i was just wondering if youd be willing to send chloes #? i need to talk to her abt something._

**Sabrina:** _Well, I’d have to ask her first. She’s very particular about who’s in her contacts!_

**You:** _thanks_

She didn’t respond for two and a half hours. I had just about given up hope when my phone pinged.

**Unknown Number:** _You wanted my number?_

I responded immediately. 

**You:** _chloe??????!!???_

**Unknown Number:** _Of course. Who else would it be_

I quickly saved her number and then typed out a response.

**You:** _i honestly was not expecting to get this far_

**You:** _soooo whyd you run out on me today???? did i do something wrong??_

She didn’t respond for a while. I could tell she was typing or trying to organize her thoughts, but I received nothing for fifteen minutes.

**Chloé:** _I’m sorry abt that. I wasn’t expecting that to happen...and I’m sorry abt what I did too. It was out of line_

**You:** _chloe you dont have to apologize for anything. i kissed you back. i wanted to._

She left me on read. Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you guys so much for reading!!!!!!  
> all of your support and comments and kudos make me feel so warm and fuzzy and make me wanna write!!!! so do those things!!!!!  
> and y'all know i had to get my fave lesbeans up in here  
> ill see you guys soon!!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!!!!!!!
> 
> i'll try and update pretty regularly, but since i'm posting this at 10:01 on a tuesday night, i'm not gonna make any promises.
> 
> love you!!!!
> 
> p.s. this will NOT be platonic!!!! marinette lied!!!! muahahahahaha!!!


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